Residents Horrified To See 1,000 Fish Die In Lake Nelson In Piscataway

PISCATAWAY, NJ — Piscataway residents are horrified to witness a mass fish die-off happening currently in Lake Nelson, a privately owned lake surrounded by homes in the Township.

One resident estimated 1,000 fish total have died in the lake starting Friday.

It's been "devastating to witness," said resident Saira Banu Kianes. "These are 12-, 13- and 14-inch carp and catfish gasping for air. They are dying right in front of us. It's heartbreaking."

The fish die-off started Friday, and is likely caused by low oxygen levels in the lake due to lack of rainfall, said Chris Dennison, president of the Lake Nelson Improvement Association.

There was a similar fish die-off in New Market Pond, also in Piscataway, a few months ago.

"On Friday, I got a message from a neighbor saying 'What is going on on the lake? There are all these dead fish," said Kianes. "My husband, Luis, and I went out and saw catfish, carp and smaller fish all dying. They were gasping for air; their mouths open. When we went out again Saturday, we saw even more dead fish, but this time they were even bigger, 7- and 8-pound fish. My husband and I have been going out in a rowboat and removing dead fish from the lake. We have 10 bags full of dead fish. I am begging all the residents to please come help us remove the dead fish."

"I'm a 30-year resident of this lake; I've lived here since 1996 and I've never witnessed anything like this before," she said. "The smell is horrific."

"We called the town; we called the local fire department. No response," she said. "We are on our own to deal with this."

Dennison said he contacted the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, and DEP employees came out Monday morning. They took water quality samples from the 14-acre lake.

"They found what we suspected: There are very low oxygen levels in the water," said Dennison. "What we think happened is that we had an algae bloom in the lake, caused by too many fertilizers running off into the water. Not just from our residents (around the lake), but coming from upstream as well. We are waiting for (the DEP) to confirm this."

"DEP Fish and Wildlife was alerted Friday to a report of a possible fish die-off and Conservation Police are reviewing the matter further," a DEP spokeswoman said Monday.

There has not been enough rain lately to push fresh water through the lake, both Kianes and Dennison said. Rainfall across New Jersey is below average and a big swath of the state is under a drought watch, according to the NJ DEP.

"What's happening is there is a lot of lawn fertilizer running off from people's lawns into the lake," said Kianes. "That is encouraging an algae growth under the surface of the lake and the algae is sucking up all the oxygen in the lake. The water is not flowing. We need a nice big storm to add fresh water to the lake and push water flow through the lake."

On Friday night, Erik Hallberg, in his early 20s and who grew up along Lake Nelson, suggested turning on the two fountains that are in the middle of the lake, which are usually turned off after Labor Day. Hallberg actually got into the lake water (it ranges from four to eight feet deep) and turned on the fountains, said Kianes.

"He was brave enough to get in the water and place the pump," she said. "Our local hero (is) Eric."

The fountains help pull oxygen from the air and put it into the lake, said Hallberg.

"I got neck-deep in lake water and dead fish," he said. "It's a serious problem and it's really common. We are lucky Lake Nelson hasn't been hit earlier. The solution to prevent this is limiting where homeowners can use fertilizer."

Dennison said he thinks the smaller fish are now surviving.

But the bigger fish, such as the carp and catfish, are already gone.

Turning on the fountains was really all the homeowners could do, said Dennison.

The lake is privately owned, and even if the municipal fire department put a water pump into the lake, "We would need a lot of water. It's not viable; it's a 14-acre lake. I don't hold it against the town; we just need too much water," said Dennison. "The fountains are on 24 hours now and we will keep them on until we get a good rain. That's what we're waiting on."

Otherwise, the lake is beautiful to live on, they said. Lake Nelson is fed by Ambrose Brook and runs down a waterfall before ultimately emptying out into the Raritan River.

"We have deer that come down to the water, and foxes, coyotes and beavers," said Dennison. "People ice skate on the lake when it freezes in the winter."

"We get amazing sunsets and the fall is gorgeous when the fog is lifting off the water," said Kianes. "Homes don't even come to market here; people call us to see when we will sell."

"We are now just hoping for a miracle, waiting for the rain," she said. "It has to be a nice big storm."